• Question: pigs are clean animals because they don't poop until they are out of their home even if its been weeks the only mammal does anything near this are humans . no other animal does this except for humans. so why are they known to dirty and unclean?

    Asked by taku11 to James, Mike, Suze, Will on 21 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Mike Dodd

      Mike Dodd answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      You’re right, they are actually very clean animals. I think it comes from the fact that they roll in mud. Even though this is used to cool them, it is thought of as dirty. I think people just associate mud with being ‘dirty’, which is a shame for the pig

    • Photo: William Eborall

      William Eborall answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Hi taku, I don’t think pigs and humans are the only animals that do this. Cats travel away from their home before they poop, and do so to mark boundaries of their territory. Also rabbits have a separate part of their burrow which they essentially use as a toilet.

    • Photo: James Marrow

      James Marrow answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      Most animals like to be clean in the wild – it’s just that we don’t give them enough space when we keep them in pens. Pigs do like to dig in the earth for food, so they can’t help it when they get dirty if they are living amongst a big mess. Also, a bit of mud is a great protection from the sun and insects, as pigs don’t have fur to protect them, so they do like to cover themselves in mud.

    • Photo: Suze Kundu

      Suze Kundu answered on 21 Jun 2011:

      This sounds like a perfect conversation for Glastonbury week! Interesting question Taku11 🙂

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